mind body planet

I know that my last few articles have sort of jumped around a little bit and missed oe big thing that is sort of the key to my love of Organic foods. Organic farming is all based on the ideas of sustainability and on keeping the surrounding soil and ecosystem clean and preserved. For me my experience with it has been fun and interesting, though I prefer biodynamically raised foods, and I think everyone should know where their food comes from. 

The background about the real facts of pesticides is something that sheds a great deal of light on the importance of eating an organic diet.  Pesticides have been documented ad shown to cause some serious issues among the farmers who work with them.  Even when the techniques are done properly and precautions take, issues can arise from even a slight amount of simple exposure. Many phosphate pesticides are known to cause abdominal pains, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, as well as various skin and eye conditions. Then there are also other studies which have show much more serious problems like respiratory issues, memory loss, cancer, depression, and birth defects. I have never actually been a witness to any of these but the research doesn’t lie. 

One difficult point about pesticides in fruits and vegetables is when it comes to buying things from abroad. I have worked on Organic farms before in this country and the regulations you have to follow are pretty strict and you have to be quite rigid in every step you take ad what equipment is used every day. Each year the farms have to get checked and things have to be cleared by the certification organization so they maintain a very well ru operation. It was also my experience that these farmers were much more passionate about  their final product than just about their business. The issue for the health of the consumer arises because the organic standards in other nations is not the same as they are here. Other nations don’t place as much value on the same scientific research and thus some food enters the U.S. with levels of pesticides that are unacceptable here. 

I don’t want everyone going out now ad running for the hills because that’s not what I am saying is the solution. What I do what you to do though is read ad get yourselves informed because that is the only way anything is going to change. With your knowledge of what isn’t good for you then you can place your dollar and your power where it belongs.

I left off last time talking to you a little bit more in depth about the particulars of the Organic foods we see cropping up, pun intended, all over the grocery store. I’d like to keep that conversation going today ad get back in to in once again. I think that for now what deserves a little bit of attention are some of the particulars that I have experienced that you may not know much about.

I have worked as a farmer in the past at a few different locations. Several of these were Organic farms, some were not certified but could have been if they had the high cost of being certified. Then some of these places were not Organic at all and that was fine at the time for me. So I really have got to see a lot of differing practices when it comes to farming and the biggest issue for me at this point in my life is sustainability. I feel like the issue of whether or not we are poisoning ourselves slowly with pesticides is not nearly as pressing an issue as that of the complete degradation of the planet. If we have no planet then we have no species thus agricultural techniques are a moot point. Of course when we look at from that perspective the Organic farms are protecting the chemical balance of soil because there is no pesticides used. They are also much better at sustaining lots of biodiversity. This is something that conventional farms don’t really even consider. Organic farms are much more about nurturing rather than simply industrializing the growth of life on this planet. The only problem that some say arises from this is that Organic farms require much more land to grow the same amount as the factory farms. This means for some people that if we were to try and sustain the current world population on Organics we would in turn be leading to more destruction of rainforest to grow food. That would, if it actually was the case, would again negate the point of sustainability. 

I’m going to turn to one of my best resources for food information right now and finish today with a quick word about Michael Pollan. He is a world renowned author and scholar who has written a great deal on things like this. He has studied the primary documents ad the facts on the yields ad his view is simply that we could actually increase the world’s food supply by almost one half if we were to switch everything over to Organics. He claims that where the problem lies ow is in the diversity of types of farming. If we were to switch over today then things would have to change in every single ecosystem to accommodate and that would ot be reflexive of the simple industrial growth estimates that every is looking at.

Once again the class time is a callig and I must be gettin on. We’ll keep on with this discussion next time.

I know that in the past I have discussed organic foods and all of the broad topics that fall under that category but I would like to come back around to this idea again. We have once again reached the time of the year when the leaves fall and the temperature makes most agriculture impossible. Farmer’s markets will be closing up shop soon and leaving only winter markets which sell mostly meets and dairy products. This is an especially important time to know what kinds of things there are out there for you to buy when you go to the shelves at the supermarket. Knowing is half the battle and for those of you on a small student’s budget, then knowing where to compromise because of costs is also very important. 

What do we mean when we say Organic food? Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.  Livestock are reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.  In the U.S. this is something you must watch out for though because there are still modified products out there. Personally I feel that free range meat is better than just organic. If you buy locally then I bet you could find organic and free range from the same producer without having to compromise on that piece of your diet. 

Organic food production is legally regulated. Currently, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain organic certification in order to market food as organic.

Historically, organic farms have been relatively small family-run farms — which is why organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers’ markets. However, since the early 1990s organic food production has had growth rates of around 20% a year, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations. As of April 2008, organic food accounts for 1-2% of food sales worldwide. Future growth is expected to range from 10-50% annually depending on the country.

The benefits to organic farming are not simply for personal health reasons, but these purchases effect the biodiversity of the area and the sustainability of the farmland. The last two are things that traditional factory farms do not consider when laying out their production line. 

I have to go to class for now but we will keep talking about this next time. Stay tuned.

We have once again reached the fall everyone and the harvesting season has really begun. In just two short months all of the farmer’s markets will be slowing down or closing entirely. Our CSA’s will be puttering to a stop here around the same time and then we will be on our own to try and figure out how to make our food choices work and believe me you do have some options. For those of you out there whop don’t know already, you also have one other option to store up some food for the winter that you are currently able to find at the markets or in your CSA box.

Canning is a practice that I tout till the ends of the earth because it as gotten me through years of winter. When I was a kid it was normal part of every week that on sunday nights the whole family would can whatever produce we had left over because mondays were the farmer’s market days and we would survive off that food for the week ahead. Canning is a way to store food for yourself at home that will certainly last you all winter long and will definitely save you some money in the long run. It will take a small investment at first but it is well worth the pocket change from your student loans.

The art of canning begins with a trip to the store. In any supermarket you can find, in the isle with the plastic bags, ball jars. These jars come in all sizes from a pint all the way up to a two gallon jug. For most canning purposes you will need either the pint or the quart jars. The smaller jars are for things like jams and jellies and the larger jars are for your staples like tomatoes and pickles. When you have the jars the next thing to get will be a pot large enough to fit about six to ten jars or so. The pot doesn’t need to have a lid but it helps. You will also need some type of tongs and there are some that are made specifically for this purpose. Now you are ready to get to canning.

At this point I won’t go too much in to the actual process of canning because the process varies for every kind of food you wish to can. Here I would recommend that you go ahead and buy a book on canning. There are plenty of resources for this and even I still go out of a book to keep myself focused on the way the process is supposed to go.

Cooperative Market

So today since I am down to just one or two more days here at the community house, I am going to talk a little bit about Ithaca and what sorts of ways this little college town is making same amazing strides in the fight against ecological degradation. The people of this little community from the college to the surrounding areas, are all quite obviously devoted to creating and maintaining something quite special in their town. With the farmer’s market I talked about yesterday I saw what I can imagine to be the goal of any market and any community around the world. We are all trying to make this world a better place and make it so that the beauty around us is protected. It seems that the people of Ithaca, surrounded by their famous gorges and waterfalls, are constantly reminded about the power and beauty of nature. Thus this sense of natural awareness demands of them a certain level of respect and responsibility to take care of what is around them.

One such idea is all over the area of Ithaca , and that is the cooperative community or business. A cooperative organization, or co-Op, is basically an organization that is maintained and owned by those who work within the established place. One great example of this is the grocery store that I went in to today. This store was owned by ever single person that worked there. That means that all forty or fifty people that you could see stocking shelves or cutting meat, was an owner of this business. That means money coming in to the store goes right back in to the community and not to a company headquarters or something like that. It also means that they are much more responsive to the needs and desires of their customers. Inside this store there were bulk herbs and spices, and bulk grains all along the walls. Most of the coffees , and many of the products, were fair-trade and Organic. Then there were a huge number of locally produced goods. Anything from yogurt to toilet paper made by local people could be bought and sold there. This freedom to choose what goes on is something that you do not find with a large company who sells all over the country or the world.

Another aspect of the same idea is something here called the eco-village. The eco-village is a place outside of town which is owned and operated by it’s inhabitants. They are also a zero waste community and they do much to help with eco-actions around the community at large.

My time is up for the day folks and so I will leave you with lingering visions of this utopia I have painted for you up here in Ithaca.

Ithaca Farmer’s Market(2)

Yesterday I was talking to you all about the farmer’s market, or trying to at least, here in Ithaca, New York. The main farmer’s market here is held every Saturday in the morning until around two or three when everyone starts to really thin out and go home with their produce and things. I got a chance to go to the market here for the first time yesterday and I must tell you that it made our markets here look kind of funny and like small children trying to do something greater than their means. Though our own local markets are doing well on their own, I can only hope that with the current developments in the minds of people around this country, that the organization and sense of community at home will grow.

After our chores in the morning, which today included picking the melons that were ripe and the beans that were so crispy, we had piled in to the vehicles. Off down the road in our veggie cars, we drove through downtown Ithaca and on to the market. When we pulled n to the parking lot there were almost no spaces left anywhere. When we finally got two they were not in sight of each other. The first thing that I noticed about this market was that it had it’s own building. This was not like back home where it is a converted parking lot or a street that has been closed for a few hours. No this was a huge wooden structure with a big farmer’s market sign on the front. It looked like it could have been a nice sized strip mall if it were all closed up and made of concrete or something.

The farmer’s market was just amazing on the inside. There were booths for everything. It would be like if you were to gather up all of the various vendors from around our town’s markets and put them in one place, then add another twenty or thirty unique booths. I got lunch at this organic Cambodian booth and I bought enough local Organic produce to fill up my big cooler on wheels. The thing that blew me away the most though above all else about this market was that it as a whole was devoted and committed to being a no waste market. At each entrance there were two cans for waste. One bin was for compost and one bin was for recyclables and there was a sign over each one showing what should go inside of them. Then there was a small can just for coffee cup lids which are a unique type of recyclable plastic. I mean this was like a conservationist’s dream. I certainly recommend that all of you out there take time and check this market out.

Ithaca Farmer’s Market

Good evening all. I am back at the computer tonight after a long and wonderful day here in Ithaca. If you didn’t read form yesterday, I got here two nights ago to an intentional community that my friends are a part of. I’m staying here until the 23^rd so I may have lots of different things to tell you about. Expect plenty of inspired entries since I am surrounded by a very amazing community of people. Today our itinerary was basically just one item. I wanted more than anything to see the famous Ithaca farmer’s market.

This morning there were some chores to get done before we could do anything else. I was more than happy to help out with some tasks since I want to eventually live in a community like this and because I am staying here for free. My task for the morning was to collect up the eggs that had been laid in the hours before we got up. So around seven I went out in to the yard between the garden and the woods where there is some flat grass and I collected about thirty eggs. These chickens are grass fed and totally free range so their eggs are significantly larger and of better quality than normal eggs that you would find in any supermarket. There were no duck eggs but we had plenty of eggs for my friend Jamie to make her amazing eggs Ranchero. She made them with onions, green peppers, and garlic from the garden as well as salsa that another housemate made this morning.

After breakfast we all pilled in to the car which is another topic which I might need to discuss at length. My friends Jamie and McKenzie who used to live here in town before they graduated, bought a new car about a year ago. The car they found on Craigslist and it was like a dream come true. It was a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta that had been converted to run on vegetable oil. Every week they used to pick up oil from shops around town and then just filter it at night in their back yard. Then they simply pour the oil in their car and go. They go through a tank of gas about once every month or so when they have been driving a lot. This summer though they have only put in one tank of gas and just a lot of vegetable oil. The van that the others took is also powered by vegetable oil and they actually converted it here themselves at the house when they all moved here. The process I hear is not hard if you have a mechanic on hand and so I think that this is where we should be moving if we want to really becoming independent of oil consumption.

I just realized I have made a bit of a mistake and took too much time going off on my little veggie oil tangent and I have run out of time for the day. I will continue this story tomorrow and maybe I will have some new things to talk about as well and keep me from the topic even longer.

Ithica

This week I have gone on vacation. For the first time since I came to college I am going to take a little bit of time off. I am coming up here to visit some of my friends and we’re staying at their new home which is an intentional community right outside of the city. I got in last night from the drive and didn’t get to do much more than come inside and hit the bed because it was pretty late. This morning though it was a different picture. I was greeted at breakfast by the owner and all of the members of the community which I believe number at ten. The grounds only comprise two small houses, but they’re located n six acres of land. Of course our breakfast was totally Organic and vegetarian. The ingredients were all from the garden or were made right here on the grounds of the community.

After breakfast we got to go out and really get the full tour of the grounds and I can’t tell you how amazing it really was. This time of year with the weather being as it is, this area is just perfect. We walked around in their two acre garden and I saw all of the things that they had growing. I saw the new scarecrow that they had put up just yesterday and the melons that are ready to be harvested. After the garden we moved on to the woods. As we walked to the end of the woods we passed lots of free-range chickens and ducks that they use for eggs, which is the only meat product that is eaten on the grounds. About fifty yards in to the woods is a little eco tree house that was built from a couple of fallen trees and recycled waste from the main house. Then we went back to the house because they wanted to take me on a little hike.

After we got ready we walked down to the eco house again and then on a trail beyond that. For about an hour we walked through steep climbs and rocky falls through some amazing woods. Every once in a while a creek would sort of spill out a little bit between some rocks. Then all at once we came out on to this huge running creek. Then we followed the trail to its end at a lagoon at the base of a waterfall. We spent the rest of the day diving from the top and sunbathing on the hot rocks. It was simply an amazing day.

Now we’re back at the house and we are sort of winding down for the day. Tomorrow we’re going to go out and look at the town and let the rest of the housemates fill in for the loss. we’re going to try to go to the huge farmer’s market that they have here and I will be sure to tell you all how it goes.

Organics(2)

As I promised, I am back today to talk a little bit more about how a person such as myself can survive on an Organic and local diet on a students’ budget. I am here to tell you people that though the statistics are stacked against you, the opportunities are all right there in front of you to take advantage of. Even though I was raised in an environment where I have been buying these types of foods all of my life, I still had to learn how to buy foods and how to budget in a place away from home like this and it was nothing short of difficult.

For me the biggest key to making the transition to an entirely local and Organic diet is to remember that it is just that. We are trying to save the world and make ourselves much healthier as soon as possible, but we can’t do it all in one day. I am quite radical compared to many of my close friends when it comes to this and I still this that it is always a process of growth and inclusion. If your personal budget doesn’t allow you to make the entire cart beam with Organic beauty, then don’t worry about it. IF you can go to the farmer’s market and get what you need and only supplement some things from the grocery store, that is better than most. I think that when you get in to the habit of feeling guilty for not being a complete Organic or completely local foods shopper, then you are just hurting yourself and those you come in contact with. Just stay positive about it. It is all a long process like anything else in life.

On a more practical and individual level, there are some things to pay attention to when you are forced to make these decisions. Some foods are basically the same when they are Organic and when they are conventional. Some foods like grapes and apples just drink up and retain pesticides until you digest them. Foods like these are the ones you want to never compromise on if you are dedicated because these are the ones that are causing the most damage. Then there are foods that are much better not purchased at all if you are concerned with local foods issues. Many of the fruits that we buy are not from this country, or they are from the other side of the country. If you live on the east coast and get oranges from California, you are burning something like a gallon of gas for that one orange to get to your hands. To me that seems absurd when I can grow strawberries or blueberries around here and be just fine.

It surely is a huge issue when you really get down to the nitty gritty like this, but in the end it is all about your own personal battles and priorities. IF you are driven crazy by the energy wasted in this country around or food transportation scheme, then locals are for you. If you are more worried about what is going in to your body when you bite in to that mutated corn then Organics may be your route. Like I said, it all depends on what is most important to you in your food choices.

Organic On a budget

Last time I talked about the joy and wonder behind where I get my foods from and I realize now that I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself on that one. When looking back on that entry I realize that I may have frightened away even myself a few years ago. I want to make my angle here very plain and simple folks. I don’t want you to change your lives because of some huge and idealistic higher cause. Though it would be nice, I don’t expect anyone who finds my little ole’ blog to do as such. What I want to do here is educate and that is exactly what I am going to do. So today I am going to talk about something that is much more accessible to those of us on the limited budget and the more mainstream diets. Everyone hears the word Organic thrown around whenever there is a discussion about food these days. I don’t think that most people quite understand what that means exactly so I want to give a little bit more information on that.

The popularity of Organic foods has grown out of what I perceive to be an awakening by people who realize that they have no idea what they are being fed. In agriculture in the country for the last century we have been obsessed with the use of pesticides and fertilizers to increase production. What has grown out of that is an obsession that spilled over in to much more research and development in genetics that simple agriculture. Today we have major corporations the produce our seeds for the most major staple crops in the country which contain pesticides all the way until they are in our stomachs. Of course these seeds have been given some kind of health clearance, but so have all of the other products that we are not informed about at the start. There are seeds for certain crops given frog and fish genes so they can resist extreme temperatures. Now I may think personally that this concept is a bit weird, but I don’t want to say that I don’t think it’s fine for businesses to do this. It is their right. For those of us who want to feel safe about our foods, the market power of our dollars has been speaking load and clear over the past few years.

Organic foods are foods produced and sold without the use of pesticides and petroleum based fertilizers. This essentially means that what you get when you buy Organic is the same foods your ancestors would have been buying. Then within the term Organic there is also another split that we have to watch out for. The term Organic does not include the use of genetic modifications. So that is why there are some labels that say non-GMO organics which means that they have not been genetically modified. In other words these products are the original strains of the products you think that you are buying. I hope that this makes a little bit of sense to you now and so you can disseminate between all of the various labeling for food out there. I will go in to more detail about Organics next time so that I can discuss how to live Organic on a limited budget.